Reserved for death

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Movie
Original title Reserved for death
Country of production GDR
original language German
Publishing year 1963
length 85 minutes
Age rating FSK 6
Rod
Director Heinz Thiel
script Gerhard Bengsch
production DEFA , KAG "60"
music Helmut Nier
camera Horst E. Brandt
cut Anneliese Hinze-Sokolowa
occupation

Reserved for the death of a German crime film of the DEFA of Heinz Thiel from the year 1963rd

action

Engineer Erich Becker once allowed himself to be baited with funds from the FRG . When he brought a letter to the scientist Jadenburg on behalf of the West with a hidden offer of escape to the West - Jadenburg is entitled to a monthly pension in the West - the case was brought to his superior Harry Korb, who gave him a few hours to escape. Becker fled to the West, became a FRG spy rather involuntarily and lives in Stockholm . Now he has been called back to Frankfurt am Main for a new assignment . He is supposed to board the interzone train to Erfurt . He only receives precise instructions on the train.

Young Hanna gets on the train. She is the daughter of Jadenburg and is supposed to persuade her father to flee to the West. Hanna tells Becker that a man should get on in Fulda . Although he pretends to be on the side of the FRG, he is actually a spy from the East and should be liquidated by Becker before the crossing to the East: Becker should push him off the train at a certain time. The defector turns out to be Harry Korb. Becker wants to give him a fair chance and tells him that he should liquidate him. Harry decides that he's not a spy. He opens up the meaning of the trip to Erfurt to Becker and reveals the secret of Hanna's identity, who is Jadenburg's daughter. Becker, who never wanted to be a spy for the FRG, decides to face Harry together in the GDR and Harry agrees. Since there should be another man on the train as a guard, both want to re-enact the killing of Harry and instead of falling, Harry wants to step onto the step of the train. Becker opens the train door and is pushed down by Harry. Harry actually served as bait to test Becker's reliability - Becker failed and was killed for it.

Jadenburg has meanwhile arrived in Erfurt, where he actually wants to wait for his daughter. Instead, men from the MfS tell him that the FRG wants to poach him. Hanna, in turn, wants to overflow to the east, but with Harry she now has an unexpected guardian at her side. If she stays in the east, Harry threatens her with a wanted search in the west. The train reaches the GDR. General passport control takes place when you stop in Wartha . When the MfS realizes that a stranger is sitting in Hanna's compartment instead of Becker, it takes action. Hanna manages to escape from the train and the Stasi arrests Harry on the train.

production

On June 6, 1963, Reserved for Death was premiered in the Berlin cinema Babylon . On August 14, 2007, Icestorm released the film on DVD.

In retrospect, critics called Reserved for Death a “film from the time of agent psychosis in East and West.” Typical of such DEFA films during this time was that crime always came from outside the country to the GDR and only through the use of the MfS could be defeated. Other, similar films were e.g. B. For Eyes Only (1963) and Black Velvet (1964).

criticism

Contemporary critics praised Reserviert für die Tod as a "quite debatable crime film that is above the average of everyday cinema life and that is sure to be well received by the audience."

For the lexicon of international film was reserved for death "whose action takes lurid, closely staged and theatrically handsome spy movie almost exclusively confined space on the train." A too Cinema was "sealing staged Defa thriller by Heinz Thiel."

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. See Filmportal.de. In: filmportal.de. Retrieved April 7, 2016 .
  2. See progress-film.de  ( page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.progress-film.de  
  3. Habel, p. 483.
  4. ^ GS in: Berliner Zeitung , June 13, 1963.
  5. Reserved for death. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  6. See cinema.de